Kaleidoscope
by VergofTowels
Summary: A ficlet/drabble collection that explores the characters of Mello and Matt primarily, but also contains others. Genre, rating, and length vary. Contains MelloMatt. K for content, bad language warning.
1. Air and Apples

Hallo! So, this began as a drabble collection like "Wide Awake Bored", but it became more of a ficlety thing. Enjoy! I'll probably post two in a chapter if they're particularly short.

To any of my readers from Star Trek: the next chapter of Heatsink is being written, so fear not!

Disclaimer: I do not own Death Note!

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**Air**

"I miss England," said Matt in the British accent he hadn't properly possessed since graduating Wammy's. "Can't we go somewhere less hellish, Mel?"

"No," replied the Russian, tying his hair up into a makeshift ponytail. His neck was sticky with sweat in the Tokyo summer heat and Matt could see it dripping down into the hollow of his collarbones. "If you're hot, turn on the fan."

"It's already on."

"Then stop bitching." Mello had headed into the kitchen. "Drink some milk." The milk was standing out on the counter because the refrigerator was full of chocolate.

Matt shifted unhappily on the couch and tried to peel his goggles off his face.

"Next time, let's pick an apartment with air conditioning, yeah?"

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**Apples**

He rubbed the apple with his sleeve until it shone red and green in the afternoon sun. The fact that it wasn't a perfect sphere, was instead quite lopsided and rather lumpy, didn't bother Matt. It still tasted fine.

"Hey Mello," he said, peering down through the branches of the apple tree and past his skinny legs. "Come up here. There's still lots of ripe ones." But Mello was too busy throwing the fallen fruits at Near, almost but not quite hitting his little white head. Roger frowned from the orchard path and began to move toward them, bound to stop disaster before it occurred.

Matt just sat back, feeling the bark of the tree trunk tugging at his shirt, and laughed with apple in his mouth.


	2. Beginning

Here's the next one. This meeting differs from the one in WAB, but I like both of them. :D

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**Beginning**

Mello was shoved roughly, but not unkindly, into the room, Roger's hand on his shoulder. He was quickly followed by a small canvas bag containing what few possessions he cared to look after.

"I don't know what to do with you anymore," grumbled Wammy's caretaker, yanking down Mello's shirt in a futile attempt to make him presentable. "Everywhere I put you, you misbehave."

"Get off, old man!" snapped Mello, pulling away. He put his hands on his hips and, ignoring Roger's continuing rant, surveyed his new bedroom. It was the fifth he'd had, and he wanted to know how it stacked up to the rest. It was a good size, he decided, and it had a window that looked out onto the side lawn of Wammy's House. It was on the second floor, so he didn't have to share the communal bathroom with Near. So far, so good.

There were two beds in the room, draped in blue. One of them also had a blanket patterned with rocketships on it. This bed was occupied by Mello's new roommate. It was conceivable that Mello would have said hello, had the kid looked up, but that didn't happen. The boy was transfixed on his handheld videogame. Mello shrugged to himself and disregarded him, climbing onto his own bed and experimentally bouncing.

"Well," sighed Roger, coming to the end of his lecture, "We'll see how this works out." He gave Mello a look and turned to the boy on the rocketship bed. "Matt, this is Mello. Try to get along with him."

"'Kay." Matt flashed a thumbs-up without looking away from the screen. Mello glared at him for being agreeable and snatched his bag up from where it had been left by the door. He started to sort his clothes into the wooden dresser and put his books on a shelf of the bookcase. Most of the other shelves were cluttered with video games and their manuals. Didn't this Matt kid have a life?

It was very quiet. The only sounds in the room were electronic beeps from Matt's Gameboy and the occasional distant yell from the kids playing soccer outside.

There was a box of chocolates on Matt's bedside table. About half of them had been eaten already, but Mello picked up the box anyway. Matt didn't look up.

"I'm taking this," declared Mello, putting on his best don't-fuck-with-me face. He had been perfecting it since he was eleven and had learned what 'fuck' meant.

"'Kay. I don't like the ones without nuts in, anyway."

Mello, slightly put out that his attempt at intimidation had failed, popped a chocolate into his mouth. He chewed, swallowed. He realized he was bored. Normally if he was bored he terrorized Near, but Roger had banned him from the playroom for a few days because of the Syrup Incident. Distractedly, he swung his feet over the side of his bed, kicking the frame. Suddenly he had an idea! He balled up the foil wrapper of his chocolate and threw it at Matt's head. The gamer just shrugged it off, not even glancing over with annoyance, as Mello had expected him to.

"Not a lot bothers you, does it?" asked Mello, frowning.

"Nope. 'S'long as you don't mess up my games, I'm cool."

"Oh." Mello picked at a loose thread on the knee of his jeans. He wanted to ask Matt if he had any two-player games. Wanted to. Didn't mean he would. Instead, he'd probably break the boy's Nintendo. Maybe then he'd get his own room…

"Aw, darn," said Matt suddenly. "I died." He tossed the Gameboy to the foot of his bed and turned to regard Mello with interest. "Hey. Want to play Secret of Mana? I've already beaten it, but it's more fun if you get a friend to play, too." And he seemed so _sincere_…

"Sure," said Mello. "But, I don't want to be a girl." He got off his bed and sat next to Matt on the carpet by the little TV in the corner.

"Okay. You can be the Sprite."

And as Matt handed him a controller and explained the controls, Mello thought maybe, _just maybe_, he wouldn't mind having a roommate. Just this once.

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Reviews are love!


	3. Peace

Third chapter. :D

I do not own Death Note!

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Peace

"Ugh, why are you everywhere?" huffed Mello, shoving Near off the couch and onto the rug of the playroom. "You're like some kind of cockroach."

"I'm not a cockroach, I'm _homo sapiens_," said Near, climbing instead onto an armchair. He wrapped his arms around himself and curled up as best he could.

"Aren't you supposed to be in class?" asked Mello, now stretched over both of the cushions. His seven-year-old height took up little room, but Mello liked personal space.

"I'm sick." Near took a tissue out of the box on the side table and blew his nose. He threw it away in the trashcan at his feet, ignoring Mello's disgusted face. "Why aren't you in class?"

Mello pulled up his pantleg to show the younger boy his scraped knee. It had been cleared of blood and dirt, but the scratches were still an angry red. He had refused a bandage from Roger, he said, because it didn't hurt at all. Not even a little bit.

Despite himself, Near looked impressed. "Cool."

"Very," declared Mello. He grabbed the TV remote and began flipping through channels. Near expected him to pick something they weren't supposed to watch, like _The Nightmare Before Christmas_, just because Roger was in a meeting.

Instead, Mello settled for Looney Tunes.

They spent a moment in silence, while Bugs Bunny got Daffy Duck to shoot himself in the face. Mello laughed. Near coughed. Mello shot a him a look.

"…Sorry." He expected Mello to tell him he was gross. This happened frequently enough when he was healthy, so he figured there was a 97% chance.

Mello threw a blanket at him.

"…Thank you." Near blinked in surprise and pulled it over his head like a cave.

"Whatever. Stupid." But Mello's ears were slightly pink as he turned back to the TV.

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Reviews make me happy!


	4. Insects

I know this one is short, but it works better as a stand-alone. By which I mean nothing I've written so far really fits well with it.

Warning: Implied sex.

Disclaimer: I do not own Death Note!

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Insects

When they had survived the Kira incident and every day seemed beautiful, Matt gave Mello a birthday present. They would go to the lake for summer. The water was full of natural minerals, he said, that would be good for Mello's burns. They could have a little cabin right on the water, with its own pier. They could swim together, eat together. Sleep together, he said, raising his eyebrows suggestively. They could remember that there was something more to life than surveillance cameras and guns.

Mello had scoffed at him. Mello often did. But come August, they were camped on the little strip of beach with matching towels. Mello investigated the water. He splashed some at Matt, as if it was possible for him to actually have fun. He smiled, for real, no hint of a smirk about his mouth. When night fell, they lay together on their bed, bathed in the moonlight spilling in from the glass patio doors. Mello's touches were soft when he pushed Matt down, and his kisses were gentle. They removed their clothing.

When they were finished, and lying in each other's arms, they looked out together to see the fireflies dancing over the water like stars.

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Review!


	5. Dark and Despair

Warning: implied sex, mentioned blood 'n such :D

Disclaimer: I do not own Death Note!

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Dark

Mello liked to make love in the dark. They would fall into the room already half undressed and stumble blindly to the bed, fumble at hidden zippers and buttons in the gloom. Personally, Matt would have preferred to leave at least one light on. His shins were covered in bruises. But no, Mello thought it was unromantic (as if he had any claim to romance), and, as usual, Mello got his way.

Matt would pull away his lover's shirt and trace the scars that lined Mello's body, there in the dark. Here was the burn, the most recent, a once bitter now badass reminder of their desperate fight for justice. There was the white knife scar trailing down Mello's neck and to his collar bones, dipping into the shadowy hollow that Matt knew by heart; there, the bullet hole in his thigh. All across the Russian's back, the story of duty and betrayal etched in deep. Matt could tell where each scar came from, down to the tiny mark on Mello's temple from the kitchen counter at Wammy's House. He loved them as he loved the rest of Mello, rough as he was.

Mello said he liked the dark because it was romantic. Mello was not self-conscious. Matt didn't mind that he was lying. He understood that sometimes it was good to hide in the dark.

**Despair**

Matt sat in the hallway and listened to the breathing. He laid his cheek against his drawn-up knees and the ribbed denim was cold. Yes, it was cold in the hallway. He took another swig of beer to quell his anxious nausea.

Mello had said come get me. Mello had half a face. Mello had bled on the backseat of his car.

Mello was sleeping now, in Matt's bed, his breathing labored. Matt sat in the hallway and listened to that breathing and prayed and prayed, though he didn't believe, that Mello would live to regret it.

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Review! Mello told you to!


	6. Doors and Coffee

I really love Doors... And in Coffee, Matt's words were all supposed to be jammed together, but the site didn't like the formatting. :P Read it really fast, if you can. XD

Disclaimer: I do not own Death Note!

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Doors

Near's was white, and the hinges were quiet. It was always open because Roger was always bringing Near something new to play with after his test scores came out. Actually, Near liked to watch Mello as he careened through the halls, laughing, or more often yelling. When Mello passed Near's room, he shut the door.

**Coffee**

Mello woke up.

"Mello! You will not believe what happened on my raid last night because it was so EPIC and we only wiped four times except Todd kept dying 'cause he kept pulling all the dragons that we told him not to but he's not really the brightest crayon in the box to begin with so that doesn't really count and we're totally awesome but any way we might have to go shopping today because we're all out of coffee because I had to keep drinking it last night to stay awake because we had that job two days ago remember the one with the diamonds so we should probably get some more and hey, are you listening?"

Mello blinked.

Mello turned over and went back to sleep.

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Reviews make me happy!


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